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Atlantic Health System and CentraState Healthcare System Announce Clinical Affiliation

February 18, 2020

Partnership Enhances Community Health Care Quality and Access

Morristown - Freehold Township, NJ – February 18, 2020 – Atlantic Health System and CentraState Healthcare System today announced a clinical affiliation that will provide enhanced access to high-quality specialty health care services to the communities of central Jersey. The affiliation will accelerate the growth of CentraState’s oncology and neuroscience programs through linkages with Atlantic Health System’s nationally recognized specialists and coordination of clinical and research activities. In addition, both systems will share clinical expertise and best practices and coordinate patient care through a common technology platform.

In recent years CentraState has worked closely with Atlantic Health System, initially as a member of the statewide Healthcare Transformation Consortium (HTC) that was launched in 2018. HTC is a collaborative of leading, independent health systems that share their expertise to improve access to high-quality health care for covered employees and dependents while reducing costs. More recently, CentraState became a participating member of the Atlantic Health System Cancer Care Research network, as well as a primary affiliate of the Atlantic Health Cancer Consortium (AHCC) National Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). Through this new affiliation, the organizations will build on the initial success of HTC to develop a regional Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) to provide seamlessly coordinated care for their patients.

In addition to having a history of collaboration in their respective regions, both organizations share similar philosophies and approaches to affordability, access to care, physician engagement and innovation.

“The goal of this agreement is to introduce clinical enhancements that will allow CentraState to increase the breadth of services we can offer to the patients in our service area for complex illnesses like cancer and neurological disorders,” said John T. Gribbin, CentraState President and CEO. “Atlantic Health matched the profile and embraced the shared philosophy we were looking for in a partnership more than any other potential affiliate. We are pleased to partner with them in bringing advanced clinical services to our community normally found only in academic medical centers outside our community.”

“We are excited to make care more accessible for patients throughout north and central New Jersey by enhancing our relationship with CentraState,” said Brian Gragnolati, President and CEO, Atlantic Health System. “As demonstrated through the success of our ongoing collaborations, uniting the strengths and talents of our great teams delivers better experiences and outcomes for all of our patients.”

Through this affiliation, which involves a sharing of expenses and investments, CentraState and Atlantic Health System have agreed to work together initially in three key areas.

Cancer Services

The Statesir Cancer Center at CentraState provides a strong foundation of excellent community cancer care in the region, from diagnosis to treatment, including services such as radiation and proton therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, immuno-therapy and hormone therapy. The affiliation with Atlantic Health System will provide community oncologists with greater access to the resources and expertise of Atlantic Health’s award-winning cancer care programs, including clinical trials via participation in NCORP, subspecialty services and other breakthrough cancer treatments.

CentraState is a community site of the Atlantic Health Cancer Consortium (AHCC), the first and only New Jersey-based National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). Covering 73% of the state’s population, the AHCC NCORP partners with leading healthcare organizations across New Jersey to significantly improve patient access to clinical trials focusing on prevention, screening, care delivery, treatment and quality of life.

As a Clinical Affiliate, CentraState will also benefit from inclusion in grant applications, broadened clinical leadership and overall physician alignment across the organizations.

Neurosciences

With one of the largest Multiple Sclerosis (MS) programs in the state and innovative programs to manage Parkinson’s disease, CentraState will partner with Atlantic Health System, the leading provider of neuroscience services in the northern New Jersey region to further enhance the quality of neuroscience diagnostics and care in central Jersey.

Through this affiliation, Atlantic Health System will support the expansion of research opportunities in MS and enhance access for CentraState patients to specialists’ capabilities. Atlantic Health System will also expand access to its telestroke and neuro-hospitalist programs for patients in central Jersey, provide additional physician experts in the areas of Movement and Parkinson’s disease, and provide greater access to diagnostic technology at Overlook Medical Center.

Information Technology

Atlantic Health System and CentraState will collaborate in the planning and development of Information Technology Networks with a goal of sharing clinical and technical expertise and data via a common platform. Data analytics provided through Atlantic Health System will enable the organizations and physicians to more effectively coordinate patient care, enhance participation in accountable care plans and more quickly introduce and coordinate population health management initiatives.

About CentraState

CentraState Healthcare System is a fully accredited, not-for-profit, community-based health system that provides comprehensive health services in the central New Jersey region. In addition to offering a full range of leading-edge diagnostic and treatment options, CentraState serves as a valuable health partner focused on the latest ways to prevent disease, promote healthy behaviors, and help people of all ages live life well. Based in Freehold, CentraState is comprised of a 284-bed acute-care hospital, a vibrant health and wellness campus, three award-winning senior living communities, a charitable foundation, and four convenient satellite health pavilions. The system also offers a family medicine residency and geriatric fellowship training program in affiliation with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Among its many honors and accreditations, CentraState is one of only 2 percent of hospitals nationwide to earn Magnet® designation for nursing excellence three times.

About Atlantic Health System

Atlantic Health System has a long-standing tradition of providing exceptional patient outcomes and experiences. Home to seven award-winning hospitals including Morristown Medical Center, the number one hospital in NJ according to U.S. News & World Report, Castle Connolly and Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals, the system has been ranked first in New Jersey in consumer preference by Monigle and first among health systems in New Jersey as a “best workplace” by both Modern Healthcare and Fortune Magazine.Many of the system’s programs have received national accolades and designations, including Morristown Medical Center’s Cardiology and Heart Surgery program ranked among the top 30 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report; Morristown Medical Center’s Orthopedics program ranked among the top 35 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report and Atlantic Health System’s Cancer Care program, New Jersey’s first and only National Cancer Institute National Community Oncology Research Program. Additionally, Atlantic Health System Neuroscience at Overlook Medical Center, working with Atlantic Mobile Health, was the first in the nation to deploy and use portable Telestroke technology in ambulances for routine pre-hospital assessment of stroke patients.

Powered by a passionate workforce of 17,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey, including 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The system provides care for the full continuum of health needs across a wide array of settings, including Atlantic Medical Group, one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey with more than 1,000 physicians and providers, 12 urgent care centers, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute, Atlantic Home Care and Hospice and Atlantic Anywhere’s Virtual Visits. Facilitating connections between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.

With a clear sense of purpose and an unparalleled culture, Atlantic Health System attracts top leaders in the field of health care, from CEO Brian Gragnolati, who was Chairman of the American Hospital Association in 2019, to the numerous team members who serve as leaders across national clinical associations and research entities.